PHOTO BY BRENNA WHITE / THE VILLAGE REPORTER
CONCERNS … Paul Green and Mary Jo Gniewskowski update the commissioners on the progress of the Northwest Township Water Board OWDA loan issue.
By: Brenna White
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
The Williams County Commissioners convened for their regular meeting on September 30, 2025, in the Commissioners’ Session Room.
The meeting began at 9:00 a.m. with the Pledge of Allegiance and roll call. Commissioner Vice President Scott Lirot and Bart Westfall were in attendance. President Terry Rummel joined the session over Zoom call but refrained from contributing to motions as he was out of state.
Commissioners approved the minutes from September 23, 2025, as well as the day’s agenda with no corrections. After the payment of bills, transfer appropriations were approved for Hillside Country Living, EMS, and the Engineer’s Office.
The OPWC Round 40 Sub-Committee Roster was accepted, which noted the following members: Todd Roth as Chair, Terry Rummel as County Representative, Brian Wieland as City Representative, Rusty Goebel as Township Representative, Ed Kidston as Village Representative, and Tony Hafele as additional Voting Representative.
Additional resolution approvals included the Prevention, Retention, and Contingency Plan on behalf of Job and Family Services (JFS), a contract for Project 7-2025, which pertains to pavement striping, and Heather Mercer and Zak Merschdorf’s attendance at an EMA course in October.
Other approvals included the Dog Warden’s weekly report from September 15-21, credit card appropriations for the Recorder, Auditor, and Treasurer’s Offices through October, and the Auditor’s Office request for Julie Bage and Parker Houk to attend Software Solutions training.
A third travel request was approved for the Treasurer to attend the Fall CTAO Conference in Columbus in November 2025.
Twenty-three permits to work within county and township right-of-way limits were approved on behalf of Charter Communications.
At 9:30 a.m., County Engineer Todd Roth and Attorney Aaron Glasgow joined the Commissioners to discuss RUMA and ROW permits within the Village of Pioneer.
A recent court case sided with the Village of Pioneer, declaring the county commissioners were wrong to deny the village’s request for a right-of-way permit. This decision clears the way for Pioneer to install water and wastewater lines to serve as a public utility.
The board continued to discuss releasing approved permits to the village. The Road Use and Maintenance Agreement (RUMA) would require the Village of Pioneer to maintain the current condition of the county roadways and fix any disrepair that would occur during the construction period. The bond limit is $300,000 and will be held until the county is satisfied with the work.
The commissioners and Attorney Glasgow agreed to sign the RUMA.
The additional Right-of-Way (ROW) permit was a topic of much discussion amongst the room. With various project timelines and details unanswered, the board was hesitant about signing the sent application.
While originally requesting 7 months for construction in the initial application in 2023, their newest request asks for a period of upwards of two and a half years.
Roth brought up concerns about the lengthy period of time. He questioned whether other utility projects, such as fiber optics, would be forced to wait over two years for approved applications in that area.
He also noted that the county’s current permit applications don’t have a project timeline limit, which he aims to resolve in the future.
“We will evaluate that time if somebody else requests a permit. There is a lot of fiber going in a lot of places,” Roth said. “Once this timeline is issued, we need to get it on our current permit, so it applies to everybody.”
The commissioners move forward to draft a ROW permit that allows for a one-year construction time. If construction is not complete within a one-year period, the village is allowed to request necessary extensions based on the completion of its project.
This is to keep from an indefinite project limit and allows the county to monitor the project yearly as it continues.
“In a year from now, we will just pick it up again and reissue. We will respect the decision of the court, and they are considered a public utility like everyone else,” Roth stated. Attorney Glasgow will draft the ROW permit for future approval.
At 10:00 a.m., the commissioners held a meeting with the Northwest Township Trustees regarding the ongoing OWDA loan issues. Trustees Mary Jo Gniewkowski and Paul Green attended the meeting.
They expressed concerns about major miscommunication with the Ohio Water Development Area (OWDA). The Water Board is currently experiencing a vacancy and one upcoming retirement, and progress is halted due to a lack of information from the OWDA.
Files regarding loan amortization were not received by the board, and they struggle to regain contact with the OWDA in-house attorney.
A letter requesting payment was also noted to incorrectly name the Northwest Water Board and instead refers to them as the Northern Water Board, and the Northwestern Water and Sewer Board, which is located in Wood County.
Gniewkowski stresses that the Water Board is unable to make large sum payments on their million-dollar loan, and questions if a small monthly payment would be applicable instead.
With a $50,000 payment due January 1, 2026, they are currently unsure if such a payment can be made. After being unsuccessful with communication with the OWDA, they are apprehensive about what the future will hold.
Commissioner Westfall brought up the idea of loan forgiveness. “I think we need to do some digging into this. I’ll talk to Dennis Miller, we’ll be at the Water Board meeting, and figure out something,” said Lirot.
The commissioners attended a viewing of the Street Vacation in Melbern, filed by Clifford Wineland, which is located on County Road 9, Bryan, Ohio.
They adjourned immediately after, with their meeting in the Commissioners’ Session Room ending at 10:44 a.m.